


I Can't Change My Attitude but I Can Change My Shirt

by the-deathboy-ghostking (bookiewookiee)



Series: Solangelo Drabbles [3]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, per - Fandom
Genre: M/M, Post-Canon, angry little angel of death, solangelo, very ish solangelo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-29
Updated: 2014-12-29
Packaged: 2018-03-04 04:57:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2953184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bookiewookiee/pseuds/the-deathboy-ghostking
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt from literally-the-president: Nico never takes care of himself and Will has had enough.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Can't Change My Attitude but I Can Change My Shirt

**Author's Note:**

> Inspiration from this song Dread in my Heart.  
> I thought one of the lines was perfect for the title sooo taadaaa.  
> I really like Will Solace and his potential of being a good character instead an implied love interest.

_You'll never have friends here. This is not where you belong. The shadows and the dark is where you belong. You are a child of death. You are the ghost king. You have a zombie chauffeur. Who seriously has a zombie chauffeur? Bianca died...because of the Greeks. You don't even have Hazel. She's too busy in New Rome with her praetor boyfriend. Kids are giving you stares and the whispers have started again. They're just waiting for you to leave like you did the last time. You're an outsider. You'll never belong._

Nico di Angelo was not a happy camper (pun darkly intended). He hadn't been the same since the death of Bianca. He tried, every day. He tried to move, to put a smile on his face and participate at the camp, to wear the orange t shirt and the necklace with one bead. One bead to prove that he had been there on that great quest to save the world. There should have been more beads; he should have been given a chance at the camp. He practically saved the camp and the world twice now. He could have been a hero, but people only saw him as a villain.

He lied and tricked and destroyed. He tricked Percy, someone he looked up to and _liked_  into dipping into the river of Styx. He tricked him into the Underworld and barely got him out alive. He let his grudge turn into hate and it consumed his soul. He let Octavian catapult himself into oblivion. He turned Bryce into a voiceless ghost, barely a whisper of the remains of a human. He was not a good person. He could have been a hero. But instead he turned into the villain. What was that saying?

 _You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become a villain._  

He skipped his activities that day, not wanting to work on his swordsmanship or his archery. He sat at the lake's dock, all the water nymphs splashed away to the deeper part of the lake. The water was clear and gave him a perfect reflection.  The bags from underneath his eyes hadn't gone away, and despite Jason mentioning he needed a haircut, he refused- letting it continue being a mess. The only healthy aspect of him was his pallor had seemed to disappear, his Italian heritage showing in his olive skin. The product of being in the sun more than being in the shadows.

"Is there a reason you skipped my archery lesson today?" Will Solace said as he sat next to Nico. He dipped his bare feet into the water, setting his flip-flops next to him. Nico inwardly groaned. This was the last thing he wanted.

"Yeah, I hate archery."

Nico turned his head, glancing at the blonde who seemed to just be radiating.  Nico was kind of sick of sunshine. His body had begun craving the darkness again. To meld back into the shadows and disappear forever. He had actually been avoiding the son of Apollo for a few weeks now. Will had come off as a very demanding person, and while he was cute, Nico really did not want to be around him. He couldn't just trust the word of his fellow camper. People wanted to be his friends? Nico really doubted that. He had heard the whispers behind his back summers ago. If Will was really that desperate to be his friend, then he should have maybe actually been there and said hi. Nico had gotten over his initial shock of Will. He was forward and some people probably really appreciated that. If he had been trying to snap Nico in the reality of the situation, he had grabbed his attention momentarily. But that had rubbed off, leaving Nico thoroughly confused and as he began to critically observe the demigod's behavior the more he wanted to stay away.

Nico wasn't someone to be fixed. Will could not worm his way in and play doctor. Nico realized how personally damaged he was but nothing Will could do or say would "fix" him.

Will was staring out across the lake.

"I've noticed that you really don't seem to like it here. But you really haven't given it a chance."

"Yes, I have." Nico stood, ready to storm off. Maybe he'd shadow travel away, just disappear- Hades did say he'd have a room for him and Persephone had really changed and was starting to be nicer to him.

"Wait, Nico!" Will joined him. "What did I ever do to you to make you act like this?"

"You don't get it! People like you never do!"

"I'm trying! I tried. I thought if someone showed you that they cared, you'd be willing to stay. I know you've got some friends here. And I know some have left for New Rome. I still want to be your friend! I'm sorry if I came off really arrogant and demanding during the battle and after the battle. That's just how I am. I thought that was the push you needed."

Nico's gaze turned up under his lashes. He glanced at the taller boy whose eyes were beginning to well. His cheeks had turned pink and he stomped his foot at the end of each of his sentences.

"You haven't been taking care of yourself. I'm sure your friends have noticed but are they too afraid to say something to you? I'm worried about you. Please, don't leave!"

Will had wrapped both his arms around Nico's shoulders and brought him close to his chest. Nico froze. There were only a few people he allowed to touch him and Will was not on that list.

"Get off, get off." Nico said trying to squirm out of his grasp. "Do you not have any respect to people's personal boundaries!"

Will quickly loosened his grasp and stepped back. "Sorry, sorry."

"If you want to be someone's friend, don't do that!"

Will interlocked his hands together and took another step back. His face was wet with a few tear tracks. Nico groaned inwardly again. How could this guy feel that much?

"I'm sorry if camp isn't working out for you. I just really would like to see you be happy. Maybe you should talk to Chiron about it?"

"I was actually thinking of visit my sister. Visit the Roman camp for awhile." _People there really don't bother me. I'll stop by, say hello to Hazel and then maybe visit Dad..._

"Please don't shadow travel."

Nico rolled his eyes and whistled. Mrs. O'Leary appeared from the shadow of a nearby tree and happily bounded towards Nico.

"Percy entrusted her to me while he's at school. She could probably use the exercise."

Nico reached up and scratched her belly. Will warily glanced at the huge hellhound and backed a foot away. "So you're leaving right now?"

"Yeah, I have to get out of here."

Will watched with disappointment in his eyes as Nico led Mrs. O'Leary back to a shadow and disappeared from sight.


End file.
